A Swarm of Sand Dollars in the Salish Sea

The floor of shallow inlets of the Sallish Sea play host to a spectacle of nature when Sand Dollars gather in their thousands. These odd creatures live as long as 13 years, and feed upon all manner of detritus, cleaning the water of the ocean on an impressive scale. They are a vital part of the aquatic ecosystem.

 

#ThroughMyWindow Video Challenge!

If you're one of the millions of people like me stuck at home in quarantine or practicing social distancing, than also like me you probably need something to take your mind off the pandemic and all the other problems that are facing us in these troubled times.

Join me in making the best of a bad situation by participating in the #ThroughMyWindow video challenge. The rules are simple - film a video entirely from within your home of the world outside.

Barrier Falls on Gnat Creek

In the quiet hills of Northern Oregon the clear waters of Gnat Creek tumble over Barrier Falls on its laughing journey towards the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. This haven of natural splendor thrives with life that throngs to the wild forest and bountiful waters that throng with salmon on their journey to their ancestral spawning grounds.

I captured these photos and video back in September, hopefully they will help satisfy your wanderlust during this time of necessary cabin fever!

Tillamook Creamery Tour

Cheese flows through the great halls of the Tillamook Creamery in a golden river of creamy cheddar, spicy pepper jack, among many other flavors. The Tillamook Creamery is an essential part of any trip to the Oregon Coast - here you can watch the process of cheese production, as well as sample the delicious results. I highly recommend the pizza and ice cream at the cafeteria for a gourmet meal on your way to or from the beach!

Osprey Eating A Fish

What could be more fun than watching an Osprey eat a fish for 5 minutes! These majestic birds are expert fishermen, and I had the opportunity to watch one eating an enormous trout it recently caught from a mountain lake. I filmed the entire process as it struggled to maintain its footing at the top of a radio tower and not drop its precious meal.

Flowers of Mt. Rainier National Park

The alpine gardens of Mt. Rainier glow with life and color during the fleeting months of summer that grace so fleeting the emerald ridges that sheer like verdant knives against the achingly blue mountain sky. Beargrass, Indian Paintbrush, and Avalanche Lillies wave their heads in the brisk wind that gusts across the high Tundra of the Pacific Northwest, a reminder of the cold of the sleeping winter, and a promise of snow to come.

Beneath Bright Water - An Aquatic Adventure in the Pacific Northwest

 The cool green surface of a woodland pond, the shining glory of a mountain stream, the flecks of dazzling sunlight glinting from the wave tossed waters of a mountain lake, the life giving waters of the Pacific Northwest are superficially sterile and lifeless. However, dive mere inches beneath the befuddling mirror of their mirrored exterior and you will find yourself in an alien world full of wonder and strange, unearthly life.

Wild Winter Paradise - Snowshoeing at Mt. Rainier 2020

Rippled fields of translucent snow coat the alpine tundra of Mt. Rainier National Park. Paradise lies frozen over, buried beneath a dozen feet of ice like the harbinger of some distant future ice age when glaciers once again reclaim the flower meadows and charge down forest valleys towards the sea.

Oystercatchers on the Oregon Coast

Among the tide pools and pounding waves of the wild Oregon Coast dwell many species of coastal birds. Of these species, few can match Black Oystercatchers for sheer personality with their fascinating antics, vivid orange beaks and bright yellow eyes. They embody the wild spirit of the Pacific Northwest.

Paynes Gulch Falls

Soar up and over the towering walls of Grand Coulee, the awesome heart of the Channeled Scablands, a mazelike network of canyons etched into the expanse of the Columbia Plateau by the violent torrents of the Missoulla Floods. From these soaring rock walls pour the spray of melting winter snow, Paynes Gulch Falls, which tumbles from such height that the fineness of its outpouring glimmers in a cascade of translucent rainbows lit vividly against the ocher sunset hues of the coulee walls.

 

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes flock to the fields and vibrant marshlands of the Lower Columbia River. Here near Vancouver Lake and Ridgefield National wildlife Refuge, these majestic birds wheel in the sky beneath the looming icy peaks of St. Helens, Adams, and Hood that tower over the low foothills of the Cascade Mountains.